Beneath The Water (Complete)

Forty

Time didn't exist in my world of almost darkness. I couldn't tell if it was only an hour or days. It felt like an eternity. It was impossible to determine and the only thing to keep me from going insane was sparse chatter when people walked by. It didn't happen often, but when it did I felt my whole body relax. Even it was for just a second, I could pretend I was anywhere else, pretend that I could walk away, that I wasn't stuck in the dark.

I had hoped I could count the time which passed by familiar voices, but it was rare to hear a voice more than once. The only constant person was the one who would walk in and knelt right beside. They wore a mask a cloak, only their cream eyes could be seen. I assumed it was a woman, but it was hard to be certain. The first time she came in, she sat across from me, staring, and never said a word.

The next time she was a bit bolder, came closer even whispered, "you sick," before leaving. The third visit she had worked up the courage to do what she actually wanted. She had brought in pins with her, set them down on the dirt. As normal, we stared at each other and eventually, she broke her silence. "You murderer," she spoke at me, struggling to come up with the words in English.

It wasn't like I could reply. "You bad, your fault." She continued to spit insults at me. The silence was almost better, especially as she reached out and took my hand. I hadn't had any food and water and I was starting to dry out. My skin flaked off at her touch and I hesitated as I watched her grab a pin. "Punishment," she told me before taking the pin and starting to push it under my thumbnail.

Even the muzzle couldn't muffle my howl in pain. I pulled at my chains, kicked my feet, but I was weak. That time she didn't get far after I fought she got up and just ran out. I had to pull the pin out myself, a line of red appeared through my nail as I tossed it to the side.

This happened many times, each time she went deeper, adding more pins, started to enjoy my pain. Without time there was no peace. I couldn't tell when the next time she'd be back, but I dreaded it. It seemed at this rate I was destined to dry out or starve to death. With the damp, sticky air which had an odd salty taste to it, I didn't even know how long that'd take.

The skin on my cheek and forehead where I had rested it against the rock was now raw and my scales showed. My wrists had long dried out with the chains and under my nails were faint traces of what happened. I could still heal my body, but the dried blood was still there, trapped.

When something different happened, I was terrified. I thought it was a trick or a trap. The water in the pool started to move, bubbling after a moment. Out of the thousand of frightening theories of what was about to come out, I was completely wrong. A scaly, clawed hand reached out from the water, digging into the gravel to get a grip and drag itself from the pool. I watched in horror as a mermaid surfaced, flicking their tail on land to get the strength they needed to get onto the golden chair.

I knew who it was, and I started to tremble. My eyes fell as I curled up, his head fell back and eye clenched tight in pain. We both sat there, waiting for him to shift into his human form. It took a few long, agonizing minute before he was fully human and his breathing was normal. Even then he didn't look at me, just straightened up and walked over to the door.

Leo pulled the silk fabric down from whatever was holding it up and wrapped it around himself like a toga. He took a step outside, smiling at something he saw. "Good morning, may you please tell King Dalok I am here."

My heart sank realizing there was probably someone outside the door the entire time. Did they hear me scream, did they care at all? I rested my head back down on the rock, more skin on my cheek and forehead rubbed off as I did. Leo didn't speak, didn't move from the doorway but I could feel his eyes on me.

I didn't dare look back, I didn't want to face his icy blue eyes, my mother's eyes. It wasn't long before firelight lit up the cave which I flinched away from. "King Dalok," Leo breathed and I could imagine his low bow. "Thank you for calling me about a traitor, may we get started?"

"The pleasure is all mine, King Leo. I'm glad to keep our alliance flourishing. She has been untouched and starved for six weeks." One of his men lied, acted against him. "My men report she hasn't tried anything." He paused for a moment before the gravel crunched under his feet as he walked inside. "She's calm and well behaved for someone who knows they're going to die." The words rolled off Dalok's tongue as easy as the weather.

Leo walked soundlessly beside Dalok, stopping in front of me as he stared down. "Look up, child, look up at the man you claim to be the dead sister of." My brother spoke of himself in an awkward third person as a show of power, but it failed; he didn't realize who he was speaking to so harshly.

I didn't move, I couldn't face my baby brother like this. I was always the strong one, the one who led by example. I wasn't this weak animal, muzzled and chained to a rock. After 85 years, this couldn't be how Leo and I were reunited. "Your King is speaking to you!" Dalok snapped, grabbing a fistful of my hair and jerked my head back painfully.

My hands raised and Dalok didn't flinch; he was used to doing his own dirty work. I didn't attack him, I locked my eyes on Leo's as he went as white as a sheet. "I heard him, I just refuse to listen to threats from my baby brother." I signed to him.

"Let her go."

"My Lord?" The mood instantly changed the grip in my hair loosening. I managed to jerk my head away and rested my cheek on the rock once more.

Leo knelt beside me, "Get the keys, she did not lie about who she is." His fingers carefully ran through my hair before he worked on undoing my muzzle. I flinched at his touch but eventually relaxed. I could smell the ocean on him, between that and the light I had hope that I would actually be free.

"She's-?" Dalok failed to understand the situation. Once his head was wrapped around what was happening, he started to snap orders, demanding the keys, food, water, a cloth, and new clothes.

The first strap was undone and I could almost breathe again. "I am so sorry, Leena," Leo mumbled, struggling to find more words. There was nothing which could be said to fix this situation.